Steps to Obtain a Student Visa to Malaysia
After receiving the Initial acceptance letter from the university or one of the educational institutes, the student must begin the visa application process, which is divided into three stages, as follows:
First Stage: Visa Receipt Stage:
This stage involves obtaining a student pass from the Immigration Department, also known as the Visa Approval Letter (VAL).
After obtaining initial acceptance from one of the universities or educational institutes, the student must apply through the Immigration Department’s website to create an account, attach all the student’s information, and submit a request to obtain an approval letter from the Immigration Department. The Immigration Administration evaluates the student’s file, which takes about six to eight weeks.
If the student’s file evaluation results reach a 70% approval rate, the student has received approval for the application and obtained the visa. The Visa Approval Letter (VAL) validity is six months from issuance. After completing this stage, the student moves to the second stage, head to the nearest Malaysian embassy to the student’s residence.
Second Stage: Heading to the Nearest Malaysian Embassy to Obtain the Student Visa
This stage involves heading to the nearest Malaysian embassy to get the entry stamp to Malaysia. Before heading to the Malaysian embassy, the student must print the Immigration Approval (VAL), which the student presents this approval alongside their passport to obtain the entry stamp to Malaysia, valid for 30 days from its issuance date.
Third Stage: Completing the Visa and Preparing for Travel and Entry into Malaysia
After obtaining the visa from the embassy, the student prepares to travel to Malaysia. The student must obtain copies of all available documents, including the approval letter from the Immigration Department, the entry visa, and original academic documents translated and certified by educational authorities in the student’s country and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Subsequently, the university will contact a representative to meet the student at the airport to complete his/her procedures in cooperation with the checkpoint inside the airport to obtain approval from the security authorities at the airport, called a Special Pass, which is attached to the student’s passport and grants the student the right to enter Malaysia and stay for a month.
Required Documents:
- A color photograph with a white background, size 4.50 x 3.5, where facial features are clear without wearing glasses or colored lenses. The photo should be centered in terms of dimensions from the photographer’s technical side. The photo should be formal with formal attire.
- A colored copy of all pages of the student’s passport that contain information or visas; each passport photo should be on a separate page, including all pages of the passport, even the empty ones.
- Clear colored photos of the students’ academic certificates and transcripts for each certificate translated into English and certified, each according to the issuing authority, whether it’s the certification of the Ministry of Education and the school, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the state from which the certificate was obtained, or the translation office certification.
- Undergo an initial medical examination and fill out the medical examination form affiliated with the Ministry of Immigration EMGS by the specialized medical entities, with the necessity of attaching blood and urine test reports and X-rays alongside the mentioned medical examination form. The medical examination form is sent by the university or the language institute, and the file is filled out by the student on some of the first pages and there are pages to be filled out by the doctor affiliated with the official entity that will review this examination. Each page in the report must be certified by the concerned medical entity. It is also necessary to extract copies of blood, urine, and chest X-ray reports and have them signed, approved, and attached to the medical report.
After completing the procedures inside the airport, the student directly heads to the university with a university representative, where the student must hand over their passport to the university and pay the full tuition fees to complete the last step of obtaining the student visa. The visa is then printed on the student’s passport by the university, it usually takes about two weeks for the university to return the passport to the student again.
Important Notes:
- The validity of the student’s passport must not be less than 18 months.
- If the student wishes to obtain a visa for the duration of the study program, the passport validity must exceed the full duration.
- Students who wish to apply for a student visa through one of the language institutes must be registered for language courses lasting no less than three months.
- If a student wishes to change their tourist visa to a study visa, they must wait until the study visa is issued and then proceed with their studies, converting it back to a tourist visa afterwards.
- If your study visa expires while you are in your home country, you should go to the Malaysian embassy and get an entry visa for Malaysia that allows you to renew it later. If you go to Malaysia without this visa, you will have to return to your country and apply at the embassy there.
- If a student wishes to study at a higher educational level than their current one, they must leave Malaysia and apply for a new student visa from their home country.
- The immigration department may require a bank statement from the student to obtain the visa.
- At least seven days before traveling, the student must inform our team at Oky Tamam Group for coordination and inform the university of the student’s airport of arrival, date and time of arrival, and flight number. The university will send a representative to welcome the student at the airport to assist in the visa acquisition process, which includes approving the validity of the student’s passport. This representative will also be responsible for taking the student to the university and informing the relevant department of their arrival.
The cost of obtaining a student visa to Malaysia
It can be divided into three parts as follows:
- Electronic application registration fees for the preliminary assessment of the student’s documents: These are non-refundable expenses required by some universities for assessing your file to obtain preliminary approval. Some universities do not charge any fees for this approval.
- E-visa expenses, which are the immigration approval through the internet, range from $600 to $900. This cost includes the expenses for the electronic application for university approval and evaluation of the student’s academic documents. The student transfers these fees to the university’s official account, so the university submits the student’s application on the immigration website to obtain an eVal, which is the immigration department’s approval.
- Tuition fees: These are the fees a student needs to pay upon arrival at the university campus, determined based on the university itself and the degree the student is studying. Typically, these fees are paid in full in the first academic year, not in installments. However, the student can apply to pay the fees in installments or to receive a partial scholarship from the fees after university approval, but this is usually after the first academic year at least.
Internatinal Students Fees
In addition to the above, an international student needs to pay a fee of $1000 as international student fees (paid only once) before or after traveling to Malaysia. A portion of this fee is refunded after graduation, with the refund amount varying depending on the nationality and the degree the student is studying. However, the average refund amount after graduation is approximately $600.
There is also something called a security deposit, which is an additional expense approximately 1,000 Malaysian Ringgit collected by universities from students, and it is also refunded later. However, some universities do not collect a security deposit from the student.
